Bad LinkedIn Hack
Job application confusion.
By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP
Here is an interesting tip that I saw on LinkedIn:
Want to know a LinkedIn hack that can increase your profile views by 1000%?
Go to your profile homepage.
Click on the MORE button
Select Build a resume
Click on Create from profile
Put in your desired job title.
Hit Apply
Voila! LinkedIn will create a resume from your profile.
So, all set right? All you have to do now is click “Apply” when you see a job posting on LinkedIn. You’ll go to the top of the recruiter pile!
Not so fast.
There are so many problems to unpack here that it’s difficult to explain them all in one column.
So I’ll start with my first problem, which was the “Choose your desired job title” part. I’m an expert at resume titles, and for my own resume I don’t even know what to put there! Resume Writer? That’s not all that I do. Executive Career Coach? What if someone only needs a resume or a LinkedIn profile?
One of my clients who is 3X certified in Salesforce found three awesome jobs with three totally different job titles. So if she chooses only one of them, and she’s using one resume for all her job applications, then theoretically she’s missing out on almost 75% of opportunities.
Next problem: After I put in my desired title the system told me to add Leadership Development (fine), Organizational Development (NO) and … insurance. Wait … what? Also Nonprofit Organizations. Huh?
The system also suggested keywords like Communication (don't ever put this on a resume, I’ve written about this, it doesn't help) and Leadership (again, won't help).
And the problems go on and on…
So if you want a really bad resume that won’t land you a job, go ahead and use this ridiculous LinkedIn feature. Seriously, folks, it’s a total waste of time.
You see, LinkedIn used my profile information verbatim for the resume. This so-called “easy hack” used my About section as the resume summary. Wow, that is such a bad idea. And then it suggested absurd keywords to me that have nothing to do with my profession. Insurance? Come on.
And yet because this feature was suggested by LinkedIn, and because someone somewhere happened to land a job after 500 applications, and because it is a form of automation, job seekers will happily use it. And then brag about it. Ugh.
How exactly does this increase my profile views by 1000%? No way.
Let me be super clear here: your Headline and About section in your LinkedIn profile are not meant to be used on the resume. LinkedIn and your resume are not interchangeable. They are two different tools with two different purposes. Your LinkedIn profile is your professional public face to the world (900 million users in 120+ countries). Your resume is a focused document that is used to demonstrate that you can address one company’s specific needs for one position. They are very different materials and are not substitutes for each other.
Oh my. My results were disastrous. Laughable. And yet many people are following this advice (because it comes from LinkedIn and others are recommending it) and are using this hack to apply to jobs. It’s so easy to use the Apply button at the bottom of the job posting. Just click and… interview, please. And then they’re wondering why they’re not seeing any interest after 500 applications.
The success of your job search will be determined by how well you address the company’s needs and how well you demonstrate your value-add. Period. LinkedIn is the world’s best connector that we have, but it is far from the world’s best resume writer.
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Better job. More pay. More control.
For a free resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!